Second Chance
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: Phoebe has vanquished Cole a second time. But is he really gone for good?


CHARMED  
  
"Second Chance"  
  
(First in a series of stories.)  
  
by J. B. Tilton  
  
email: aramath@isot.com  
  
Rating: G  
  
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.  
  
* * *  
  
Phoebe has vanquished Cole a second time. But is he really gone for good?  
  
* * *  
  
Cole Turner pushed himself up off the ground and looked around. He knew instantly where he was. He had been here before. The last time he had been vanquished. He was in the Wasteland. That place where vanquished demons went for their final judgment.  
  
He had thought his plan had been perfect. With his new and improved powers it should have been simple. Return to the past before Phoebe had turned to hating him. Their lives would have been perfect.  
  
But he had misjudged the situation. Even with nearly unlimited power he couldn't force Phoebe to love him again. Her destiny as a Charmed One would always be a wedge between them. He was half demon. No matter how much he loved her, that love could never overcome her destiny.  
  
The Avatars had warned him. They had told him that things might not be as he had expected them to be when he had reset time. But he hadn't listened to them. He had told himself that he had to change things. He had been wrong.  
  
Now, despite everything he had done, despite his great power, despite his virtual indestructibility, he was back where it had all started. Phoebe had vanquished him again and he was once again in the Wasteland. His human half had afforded him protection that most demons didn't have: a soul. Because of it, he had retained his human form after being vanquished.  
  
But that was of little comfort to him right now. Even in human form, he was still a being of magic. And that magic would attract one of the only two beings that lived in this place. It would attract the Beast.  
  
The Beast would sense his presence. It would come to absorb his magic as it was created to do. Part of that magic it would use to subsist on. The rest it would pass on to its' master, Cattarrin, the master of the Wasteland.  
  
Movement to his left caught Cole's eye. He quickly looked around for the nearest outcropping of rock. the only place where he would be safe from the beast. He turned and headed for the outcropping just as the Beast lashed out with one of its' tentacles. It barely missed Cole as he climbed rapidly to the top of the outcropping.  
  
It was only a delaying tactic, he knew that. The rock outcroppings were only temporary protection from the never-ending attacks of the Beast. Eventually he would misjudge an attack and the Beast would have him.  
  
But he had been here before. The first time had been a harrowing experience. A fight just to survive. This time he knew how to defeat the Beast. He would have to absorb enough essence of vanquished demons to drain the Beast. That meant he would have to risk moving to the ground to get that essence.  
  
Cole looked around. Several small "pools" of sparkling energy dotted the ground around him. The remains of demons vanquished by the forces of good or by the anger of their masters. The Beast would be drawn to them as a moth is drawn to a flame. If Cole were to survive, he would have to get to those "pools" first.  
  
Cole bided his time. He gauged the direction and distance of each "pool" near him. The Beast was fast and its' ten-foot tentacles afforded it a greater reach than Cole had. But if he timed it right, he could reach the "pools" as the Beast was distracted with one of the others.  
  
Suddenly a tentacle shot out from the sandy ground to Cole's right. The tentacle struck directly in the middle of one of the "pools" of magic and began to absorb it. Cole didn't hesitate. He instantly sprang to his left, running for his life toward another "pool" several feet away. As he reached the "pool", the magic began to fill him.  
  
For a moment, Cole was stunned. The infusion of magic into his system was something of a shock. It would take a few seconds for his system to adjust to it. That was the dangerous part. It would give the Beast the opportunity to strike while Cole was temporarily incapacitated.  
  
The shock quickly passed and Cole continued on toward the nearest outcropping of rock. He quickly gained the safety of the rock just as the Beast struck out with a tentacle. Instinctively, Cole reached out and tapped into the magic he had just absorbed. A tongue of flame shot out, striking the tentacle. The Beast retracted it in surprise and pain.  
  
This, too, was only temporary. Direct attacks against the Beast were useless. It was a creature of pure magic, much like its' master. The attacks would cause it some pain, but could not really harm it. The only way to destroy the Beast was to absorb its' essence; drain from it its' very life force.  
  
For that, Cole would need more magic. Before, Cole had simply absorbed all the magic he could get to. That had turned out to be a mistake. He had absorbed too much magic. He had become invulnerable. Incapable of being vanquished even by himself.  
  
This time it would be different. He would absorb just enough magic to defeat the beast. Just enough to free him from the Wasteland. Being indestructible had its' advantages. But it also had its' drawbacks. Cole had learned that the drawbacks greatly outweighed the advantages.  
  
One by one Cole moved to and absorbed the magic from vanquished demons. After each absorption, he would test his newly gained powers against the Beast. Slowly, he began to accumulate the power he needed. Soon, the Beast recoiled from his attacks, not out of pain, but out of fear. Cole was now ready.  
  
He dropped to the ground and waited. The Beast would attack almost instantly, he knew that. It could do nothing else. A sound behind him brought him around just as a tentacle struck out from the ground, wrapping itself around him.  
  
Cole didn't fight the draining affect he felt. He let the Beast begin to drain his magic. He began to feel weak and disoriented. Within a few moments, he would be too weak to resist and the Beast would drain him completely.  
  
But that would not happen. Just as suddenly, Cole began to draw back the power the Beast had drained from him. Siphoning back the power he had absorbed only moments before. With that power, he drained off the life force of the Beast. Within moments the Beast could not resist the draining affect.  
  
Cole drained the entire essence of the Beast. The tentacles fell to the ground, now lifeless and harmless. Cole once again felt the power of the demons he had absorbed coarse through his veins. He also felt the power provided him by the essence of the Beast. That essence was small compared to the rest of the power. But it was enough to destroy the Beast.  
  
Cole stood where he was for several minutes. He knew the job was only half done. He had the power to leave the Wasteland forever. But if he did, Cattarrin would soon follow. In the upper world, Cattarrin would not be able to harm him with his new power. But neither would he be safe from the constant attacks Cattarrin would make to retrieve the essence of the Beast.  
  
Suddenly a creature flamed in before him. The creature was a good nine feet tall. It had coal black skin and piercing emerald green eyes. Its' flaming red hair hung well below its' waist. It was dressed in short, knee-length pants and a vest. Vampire-like fangs sprang from its' mouth, it had three inch claws on each finger, and massive, rippling muscles covered its' body.  
  
"Cattarrin," said Cole.  
  
"You," said Cattarrin. "You were warned to never return here. Why have you destroyed my Beast a second time?"  
  
"I had little choice," said Cole. "It was either him or me."  
  
"Return to me the essence of the Beast," said Cattarrin. "If you do, I will make your death quick and painless. Refuse, and you will suffer for an eternity."  
  
"I'll make a deal with you," said Cole. "You'll find it difficult to destroy me outright. And I'll just return to the upper world before you do. Once there, you won't be able to defeat me no matter how powerful you are. We'll spend a very long time fighting each other."  
  
"I have time," said Cattarrin. "And this time you don't have your witch to protect you."  
  
"I don't need her," said Cole. "I have the essence of the Beast. I'm willing to give it to you without hassle. All you have to do is let me leave here. I promise I won't be back again."  
  
"That is what you said the last time," said Cattarrin. "And yet here you stand. If I destroy you now, I will have no need to concern myself with you again in the future."  
  
"And you could loose the essence of the Beast as well," said Cole. "Remember the last time? That essence is now a part of my power. Destroy me, and you could well destroy that essence. Then what will you do for your Beast?"  
  
"I grow weary of you, demon," said Cattarrin. "Twice you have invaded my domain and destroyed my Beast. There will be no third time."  
  
"Just let me leave and you'll never see me again," said Cole. "You have my word."  
  
"The word of a demon?" questioned Cattarrin. "Why should I trust the word of a demon?"  
  
"I'd say you don't have much of a choice," said Cole. "That is, if you want the essence back."  
  
Cattarrin eyed Cole suspiciously. For untold millennia it had drained the last vestiges of vanquished demons. Now, this half demon had done what no one else had ever been able to do. It was that accursed human half that had given him the edge he needed in this land reserved only for vanquished demons.  
  
"Return the essence and you will be free to leave," said Cattarrin. "But return here again, and I will destroy you whether you possess the Beasts' essence or not."  
  
"Do I have your word that I can leave once I return the essence?" asked Cole.  
  
"I have said so," said Cattarrin.  
  
Cole held out his hand and an orb of energy formed that was reddish yellow in color. When it was completely formed, Cattarrin reached out and took the orb from Cole. Cole stood ready in case the Wasteland master should go back on his word.  
  
"Leave here, now," said Cattarrin. "But heed my words. Twice you have come here and twice you have managed to leave. If we meet again, it will be for the last time."  
  
Cole just smiled, and then shimmered out of the Wasteland.  
  
* * *  
  
Cole watched as Phoebe and Paige came out of the manor. They wouldn't see him, standing in the shadows across the street. They believed him vanquished forever. For the moment, they seemed to be unhindered by the forces of evil that constantly assaulted them.  
  
"She has moved on," said a voice behind him.  
  
Cole turned to see the Avatars standing behind him. He glanced at them, then turned back to watch Phoebe and Paige.  
  
"I know," he said finally.  
  
"Do you plan to return to her?" asked one of the Avatars.  
  
"No," said Cole dejectedly. "I can see now that you were right. I can't change things. I guess we just weren't meant to be together."  
  
"It's good that you finally see that," said the other Avatar. "You cannot alter destiny."  
  
"I know," said Cole. "It doesn't mean I love her any less."  
  
"You are half human, after all," said the first Avatar. "That will never change."  
  
"What now?" Cole asked. "I'm not all-powerful any more. I didn't absorb as much magic as I did the last time."  
  
"It changes nothing," said the second Avatar. "It is your potential that we seek. In time, the power will come. And we will teach you how to use it properly."  
  
"Let's go, then," said Cole. "I find myself growing tired of all this. I need to find my purpose again."  
  
"That," said the first Avatar, "is why we are here."  
  
Cole looked longingly at Phoebe one last time. Then, without a sound, the three simply vanished.  
  
The End  
  
(Be sure to look for the sequel to this story "A New Beginning", a Charmed/Buffy The Vampire Slayer crossover story coming soon that will continue the saga.)  
  
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed" stories at my website, www.geocities.com/killeenmale/ . You can also post your own "Charmed" stories if you like to write fan fiction. 


End file.
